Advertising is ubiquitous. Beyond the billboards, TV spots, and internet banners, shout outs can't be shut out. Everywhere we look some interest is trying to positively define itself in the consumer's mind. Over the years, branding, as it's now called, has become very sophisticated in the hope that when company communication is seen or heard, an advantageous Pavlovian response will be blindly triggered. Coca Cola used to be "delicious and refreshing," soon it became "the real thing," and now it simply "opens happiness." From long ago crisp description to today's vague promise, each allure affects our emotions and ultimately our buying decisions. In a not so subtle way, corporate America is invading our consciousness in an attempt to create alchemical desire out of fictional grounds.
As a graphic designer I have done a fair share of image creation. In my corporate identity work I usually endeavor to impart meaning beyond that which is readily apparent. My hope is that through the clever use of form, memorable impact will be created while accurately defining the client's product or organization. Most, if not all, of the company logos that you can think of, successfully employ this technique. The hidden arrow in the FedEx logo denotes movement, speed, and efficiency; Infinity automobile's vanishing roadway is a disguised arrow taking you far into the future; and the not so discreet arrow in the Amazon.com mark implies that the company carries everything from A to Z, are just a few examples.
Branding attempts to create meaning beyond itself. With pervasive and persuasive contact we are easily deceived. Gullible, we readily believe what we're told. Soon we are not seeing for ourselves but that which we are conditioned to see. Though Coke may be delicious and refreshing, can it open happiness any more than the real thing - the real world - can? How is it anything more than a sweet carbonated beverage? We must open our eyes to see things truly for what they are.
And this is Jesus' test in the gospel reading this morning. What do you see when you encounter the Christ he asks. Is there more than meets the eye? Answers are contrived from the collective consciousness but finally Peter declares only what he alone has perceived. He has seen the infinite in the finite. He has seen the real thing. William Blake, in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell, notes that "My senses discover'd the infinite in every thing." Through the senses we see only the finite reality, yet we sense the infinite through reality. If we look closely enough, the divine is seen in everyday life.
Does that make the mundane special? In one sense, no - a Coke is still a Coke no matter what the behemoth propaganda tells you. The physical phenomena has no meaning beyond itself. But then on another level, there is so much more. And this is what branding attempts to tap into and what Blake infers: That behind every physical thing there is a spiritual element waiting to be discovered. Jesus commends the often daft disciple because with deft comprehension he sees beyond the blinding rhetoric. His message: See not with the eyes, hear not with the ear, but understanding with the heart. In the finite lies the potential for the infinite. No one needs to tell you otherwise.
Hi, Pia enjoyed your post
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